Young men and women of Kano City, on Friday, November 7, 2025, trooped out into the streets to protest against the invasion threats by President Donald Trump.
The protesters stormed the streets after the weekly Juma’at prayer to announce their displeasure with President Trump’s declaration.
Eyewitnesses told This Dawn that the protesters were mainly members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), a movement that reportedly originated in Iran.
See some picture of the protesters posted online below:
Did Trump Threaten To Attack Nigeria?
President Trump stated that he ordered the U.S. military, via the United States Department of Defense, which he called the “Department of War”, to prepare for possible action in Nigeria.
He warned that if the Nigerian government continues to allow the killings of Christians, “the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
He claimed that “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria” and described the perpetrators as “radical Islamists”.
He told reporters aboard Air Force One that there “could be” U.S. troops on the ground or air strikes in Nigeria.
“Could be. I mean, other things. I envisage a lot of things. They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria…
“They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen,” Trump had said.
He designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” under U.S. laws dealing with religious freedom violations.
Consequently, IMN members took to the streets to protest the attack threat.
About Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN)
Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also called the Shi’a Movement (Shi’ism), was domesticated in Nigeria by their current leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.
During the late 1970s, IMN emerged on Nigerian university campuses (especially Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria) during a period of strong student activism and pan-Islamic revivalism.
Between1979–1980s, Influenced by the Iranian Islamic Revolution (1979), El-Zakzaky adopted and promoted the idea of establishing an Islamic state in Nigeria governed by Sharia law.
By the 1990s, IMN grew through proselytization, charity, and education, established schools, clinics, and social welfare programmes across northern Nigeria.
Clashes With Authorities
Frequent clashes occurred between Shi’a, Sunni Muslim clerics and Nigerian security forces.
In December 2015, clashes between IMN followers and the Nigerian Army in Zaria led to a mass killing of over 300 members, according to Amnesty International’s estimate.
The army said the movement had blocked a convoy of the Chief of Army Staff and El-Zakzaky and his wife were arrested and detained.
This was followed by a ban of IMN from public protests, as they continued to demand for El-Zakzaky’s release.
Violent crackdowns occurred during protests in Abuja and Kaduna, resulting in multiple deaths.
In 2019, the Federal High Court in Abuja declared IMN an illegal organisation, categorising it as a terrorist group under the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 (as amended).
The group, however, denied the label.
In 2021, the Kaduna State High Court acquitted and discharged El-Zakzaky and his wife of all criminal charges, but the group remained banned nationally.
Till date, IMN remains proscribed, though it continues religious and social activities under different banners (e.g. “Academic Forum”, “Resource Forum”).
It also holds Ashura and Quds Day processions in some northern states, occasionally clashing with police.
Ideology and Beliefs
Shi’a Islam: IMN follows Twelver Shi’ism, the same branch practiced in Iran — a minority sect in largely Sunni northern Nigeria.
Their goal is to establish an Islamic system of governance in Nigeria, rejecting Western political models.
The movement models itself after Iran’s Islamic Revolution and maintains ideological and religious links with Ayatollah Khomeini’s teachings.
It holds an anti-western stance, opposing secularism, western education, and western political influence.
As its social focus, it advocates self-reliance, social justice, and resistance to corruption and oppression.
Is Ibrahim El-Zakzaky Alive?
Evidence shows that El-Zakzaky is alive, as of the most recent publicly available information.
In 2022, the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) dismissed reports of his death, telling everyone to disregard circulating rumors.
His Wikipedia page, which may not be definitive but currently updated, lists him as living and active.
